Teardrops On My Guitar
by icaughtfire
Summary: A Demi/Selena/Taylor story  eventual Taylena  Selena tells Taylor how she feels about Demi, and her friend encourages her to let Demi know her feelings. Meanwhile, Taylor is wrestling with feelings for Selena and what that means to her...
1. Chapter 1

Selena Gomez absentmindedly twirled her brown hair in her fingers as she watched her friend play the guitar. She struggled to think of exactly how she should begin the conversation she had been having over and over in her mind. The curly haired blonde finished her new song and gazed at Selena, expecting to hear her thoughts about it. When Selena didn't speak, Taylor took a seat beside of her on the bed.

"Was it that bad?" She joked, knowing intuitively that something else was plaguing her friend's thoughts.

"No – it's not that...I'm just thinking about something." Selena answered with an inward sigh.

"Well," Taylor began. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked this slowly, her caring blue eyes surveying the melancholy expression on the brunette's face.

"I do, but I don't really know how to explain it." Selena searched for the right way to tell her friend what was upsetting her. After pausing for a few moments, she continued, "It's about Demi."

"Oh," Taylor replied. "Did you guys have a fight?" At this Selena shook her head, tears springing to her almond-shaped eyes. "Sel, you're really freaking me out. What's up?" She questioned seriously.

"Honestly, I'm afraid to tell you." Selena remarked. "It's not like I don't trust you. I'm just scared because of how you might react."

"You're my best friend, Selena. I love you, you should know that. You can tell me anything." Taylor insisted. Her friend looked dubious and she explained further, "I promise I won't freak out."

"You don't even know what I'm going to tell you. I wouldn't promise anything." Selena muttered, frowning deeply with a dark look in her eyes.

"WOULD YOU STOP BEING SO DARN CRYPTIC? What is it?" Taylor exclaimed, obviously exasperated. How could she help if her friend refused to talk to her?

"Okay!" Selena screamed. "I have been realizing lately that I might be..." She took a deep breath, biting her lower lip and bracing herself. "...in love with Demi." She said the last part almost inaudibly. Taylor supportively put her hand on her friend's shoulder. The girl tried to pull herself together as her friend said this, but it hurt so much to hear the words escape her lips. Selena was confirming what she had known all along, and it made Taylor's heart ache.

"I know how much strength it took for you to tell me that." She smiled sweetly. "Are you going to tell her?" Selena gazed at Taylor before erupting into the laughter of disbelief.

"TELL her? Yeah, right. We have barely even spoken lately because she's been so busy and you expect me to just tell her all casually that I'm in love with her? Besides, there's no way she feels the same." Selena rationalized, feeling quite defeated. Taylor gripped Selena's fingers in hers with a confident grin. Their gaze met and the older girl squeezed her friend's hand.

"You can't know that for sure. How long have you been in love with her?" The blonde probed curiously. She was dying inside, and Selena's hand in hers felt so perfect. Demi didn't deserve Selena...it wasn't fair.

"Pretty much always." Selena admitted.

"Well, you should at least get out your feelings. Let's write a song!" Taylor hid her emotions as she threw herself into writing a song with Selena. She was teaching her friend the basics of songwriting and even teaching her some chords on the guitar.

_Later that evening.._

Selena was now home and she had thought a lot about Taylor's advice. She sat down with her laptop and began to type another blog entry. She had a plan.

In the blog, she wrote:

"_In life you have to cherish the things that matter to you most. When you look at me I realize that everybody else doesn't matter. I wish you felt the same way whenever you look at others and think that they could give you so much more in one night than I could ever give you in a lifetime._

_I'll get over you eventually._

_It might be wonderful, it might be magical, it might be everything I've waited for..."_

She had been secretly venting her feelings in this blog for awhile now. Selena was anxious to tell Demi how she felt – Taylor had inspired her, but she needed to find an indirect way to tell her. Selena took out her phone and called Demi, knowing from talking to Marissa that she was in town tonight. Demi answered after three torturous rings.

"Selena!" Demi greeted excitedly. "Ohmygosh, we haven't talked in forever."

"I know." Selena said almost bitterly. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come hang out at my place for awhile."

"That sounds REALLY great. Give me some time to get changed, and I'll be there." Demi decided, her voice betraying her obvious enthusiasm. The both of them hung up and the instant Selena closed her phone, she felt her stomach tie itself into knots.

Chapter Two

Selena was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard a knock at her front door. She sighed, realizing that she and Demi really must have grown apart if her friend didn't just walk in without knocking anymore. Selena ran downstairs, calling out a quick 'hello' to her parents before answering the door.

Standing there in a red and black plaid shirt, skinny jeans, red lipstick and way too much eye makeup was Demi. As Selena stared at her, she thought about how beautiful she was, and how much more beautiful she looked stripped of all that heavy makeup. They both smiled then, hugging awkwardly. Demi stepped inside, closing the wooden door behind her.

Demi and Selena walked up the stairs together, and Selena's mother stopped them before they could hurry down the hallway.

"Demi! It's so great to see you." Selena's mother commented. The two girls had been friends since they were seven and spent so much time together that their mothers had each unofficially adopted the other.

Demi grinned widely, lovingly throwing her arms around Selena's mother. "I know. I've been so busy lately with the show and writing songs and everything. I missed you!" It hurt Selena immensely to hear that Demi seemed to have missed her mother more than she did her. Selena stood with crossed arms, watching her mother and best friend converse together rapidly. Finally, a silence settled over them and Demi cleared her throat.

"Okay, well, Selena and I are going to go catch up." Demi, still smiling pleasantly, told the woman. The younger girls waved a quick goodbye as they dashed down the hallway towards Selena's open door.

Demi took a seat on the chair at the computer desk, gazing up at her friend expectantly. Selena settled onto the bed, just far enough away, growing progressively more nervous. Just as Demi opened her mouth to speak, Selena emphatically jumped up from the bed.

"I have to pee." She lied, leaving Demi alone in the room to her thoughts.  
>Demi remained in the room, wondering what had gotten into her friend. Had things really gotten so bad between them that when they were together, they could find nothing to say? While it was true that Demi had been busy with work, she had also been busy with someone…She wasn't normally the type to ditch a friend for a guy, but she had really liked Trace. At least, until he kept pressuring her to sleep with him. She had morals and frankly she was surprised at how he acted. Demi quickly ended things, leaving things with Trace bitter and straining her friendship with Miley and the remainder of the Cyrus family. Now she had no one and felt guilty about dropping Selena the way she had. The call couldn't have come at a better time.<p>

Demi moved her fingertip over the laptop pad, intending to surf the internet while Selena used the bathroom. She noticed that the window open was a blog – Miss G's blog. Miss G happened to be one of Selena's nicknames. Curious, Demi figured if it was private she wouldn't post it on the internet, so she read.  
>Selena entered her room again just as a mystified expression crossed Demi's face. Selena felt her stomach do and flip and put on her resolve face. <em>Now or never,<em> she told herself in a mantra.

"Uh, hey…hope you don't mind – I got bored…" Demi trailed off awkwardly.

"Not at all." Selena assured, but inside her head she was screaming, _Are you going to ask me about it?_ After it was obvious that Demi wasn't going to bring it up, Selena dove in, asking nonchalantly, "You didn't…read what I had open, did you?"

"Uh – yeah. Was it…personal?" Demi stammered, her face turning scarlet as she was being confronted.

"A little bit. But that's okay."

"So, who is it about?" Demi questioned. She then immediately regretted bringing it up. "I mean, just wondering. You don't have to tell me."

Selena knew this was her moment. Thinking carefully about how she was going to phrase her answer, words came spilling from her lips: "I wrote it about you—" at Demi's shocked face, she continued. "I've been in love with you for years and damn it, I am sick of being too cowardly to admit it. I love you…as more than a friend," she bit her fingernail as intensity blazed from her chestnut eyes. "And I don't expect that you will ever return my feelings. I just…HAD—to—get—it—out." She breathed heavily as she finished, leaving her longtime friend completely speechless.

"I see." Demi felt stupid for responding this way but she had not an inkling of how to react. She was helpless as Selena sat there, tears streaming down her cheeks as she made this huge confession. Demi didn't know what to think or feel. Seeing her friend crying like this about her totally disarmed her. The girl sat there in disbelief, unable to form any other words as she watched Selena's hope crash to the ground. If only she could comprehend a way to make her tears stop flowing – but the world wasn't making sense right now. Demi felt dizzy with confusion and she sat unmoving on the chair, not meeting Selena's hurt gaze.

"Are you okay?" The younger girl murmured delicately, rising from her place a few feet away from Selena and taking a seat beside of her. When Selena didn't respond, she grabbed her hand, forcing the other girl to look up at her. "Are you okay?" She asked again.

"I don't know. You haven't really reacted." Selena noted. "If you don't know how to feel, neither do I. Are you mad? Happy? Just react!"

"I'm not happy, Sel. You're crying your eyes out and that definitely doesn't add up to happy. Of course I'm not angry. You can't help how you feel. But –" Demi paused, carefully considering her words. "But I'm in shock right now. I don't know what to say. I think maybe I should go. I'll call you when I react appropriately." Demi shot back, letting go of Selena's hand and storming out of her room. Selena sat there, her head in her hands and her hair matted to her tear-striped face.

Chapter Three

Taylor wrote in the spiral-bound notebook furiously, desperate to save these lyrics before they left her head. As she wrote, she sang along, picturing herself performing it live. In this daydream, Selena was front and center, beaming at her. She felt quite ridiculous having these strong feelings for someone and not doing something about it. It was unlike Taylor to feel so passionately and not express herself...it was driving her crazy. She finished writing the rest of the song as it had occurred to her, then picked up her guitar to play for fun.

She began to sing quietly at first,

_She looks at me, I fake a smile so she won't see..._

Taylor paused, biting her lip and forcing herself to continue.

_That I want, and I'm needing everything that we should be._

_I bet she's beautiful, that girl she talks about _

_And she's got everything that I have to live without..._

At this point she was beginning to feel really emotional. She might have written this song about Drew, but now more than ever these lyrics applied totally to her situation with Selena. She built up the strength to keep singing.

_She talks to me, I laugh cause it's so damn funny_

_That I can't even see anyone when she's with me._

_She says she's so in love, she's finally got it right_

_I wonder if she knows she's all I think about at night..._

As she launched into the chorus she began to cry, singing desperately.

_She's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar,_

_The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star._

_She's the song in the car, I keep singing don't know why I do..._

Putting the guitar down, Taylor erupted into sobs. She couldn't stifle them as her whole body shook, tears streaming down her face. Here she was, really crying on her guitar as the song had been written. She wished she could say something, do something – but this wasn't what Selena needed right now. She was having a hard enough time without Taylor being selfish about her own feelings. Besides, there was no guarantee Selena would return how she felt. Surrendering to her urge to cry was strangely satisfying. Sniffling, she wiped the mascara smears from her cheeks. The blonde was jolted from her wallowing when she looked up to see Selena standing there. Attempting to regain her composure, she stared at Selena, who was wearing a frown.

Selena was too preoccupied to notice that her friend had been crying. She quickly sat beside Taylor, leaning into her shoulder. The older girl wrapped her arms around her, gazing at her in concern before she asked what was wrong.

"I told Demi how I felt. Well – I didn't really _tell_ her, she more found out because I purposefully left my journal open on my computer for her to see."

"I'm guessing by your presence here that you're less than happy with her reaction. What did she say?" Taylor questioned, genuinely caring for Selena's well-being. It hurt her to see the girl she loved so obviously hurting, but she couldn't help but be somewhat happy that Demi didn't feel the same way. That meant maybe she had a chance...

"She said, 'I see.' She didn't even react! At all! The least she could have done was reject me or something. But no, she didn't even care one way or the other. Then we fought because I yelled at her and I don't know, things just aren't good." Selena's voice was loud as she explained what had happened. After a knock, a short plump blonde woman entered the room – Taylor's mother.

"What's the commotion?" She noticed Selena's head buried in Taylor's shoulder, with her daughter's arms around Selena. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, mom. Girl stuff." Taylor smiled. "I'm sorry, we'll try to keep it down."

"No, no. It's fine. I just wanted to tell you that your father, Austin and I are going out to dinner if you want to come. Selena, you're welcome too, of course." The woman stood in the doorway, looking at the two girls carefully.

"I'm not really hungry." Selena offered lamely.

"I already ate too. But thanks for offering." The older girl told her mom, who gave a satisfied nod, closing the door behind her and leaving the girls to resume their conversation. Selena grabbed Taylor's waist, snuggling closer, her lips dangerously close to her neck. Taylor tried not to shiver as she felt the brunette's breath on her neck. She smoothed her hair back and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

"It isn't your fault." Selena nonchalantly pressed her lips against Taylor's neck, kissing it softly and then moving her gaze to meet Taylor's. "Can I stay here tonight?" Taylor's heart was beating loudly in her chest. She couldn't fathom why Selena would have kissed her neck...but now her body was acting crazy. Her breath got caught in her throat as she struggled to respond to Selena's question.

"I...suppose so." Taylor sighed inwardly, knowing this evening would be even more difficult to get through sharing a bed with Selena. It took every ounce of self control for her not to grab the other girl and kiss her. Fearing the consequences, she held back, but it was the hardest thing she had ever attempted to do. Selena let out a happy squeal, pushing Taylor down onto the bed and climbing on top of her. She tickled her mercilessly, and the older girl let out uncontrollable giggles, while thoroughly enjoying Selena's hands all over her. Taylor fought for control, pinning Selena to the bed and tickling her in return. When the two of them finally stopped laughing, the blonde stared down at her. "You're so beautiful." She whispered, her heart fluttering in her chest at the look Selena was giving her.

Taylor knew that if she didn't get up now, she wouldn't be able to refrain from kissing the other girl. Reluctantly she disentangled herself from Selena, sitting up on the bed. Selena remained in her laying position while Taylor searched for a movie to put in. She decided on Love, Actually. Placing the DVD in the player, she turned off the lights and joined Selena on the bed. All of her attention was devoted to the fact that Selena was touching her, rather than the movie. She waited until Selena fell asleep, then snuck out of the room to call Demi.

Demi groggily answered the phone after several rings. "What?"

"Hello to you too. We need to talk." Taylor told her seriously. "I have a very upset Selena in my bed right now. I think you need to talk to her tomorrow."

"I think you need to mind your own business. Did she even tell you what happened?" Demi hissed, irritated at Taylor for calling her so late, waking her up and harassing her about Selena.

"Yes, she did – she tells me everything. I know you were shocked, I understand, but it's been hours and you still haven't talked to her. The least you could do is call her and see how she's doing. If you cared about her even half as much as I did –"

"You don't know how I feel." Demi interrupted.

"No. I don't. But you're doing a pretty poor job of showing that you care if you do. She's in love with you, Demi. You have been friends for over half of your lives. Make an effort, or you're going to lose her forever." Taylor urged her. She was only doing this for Selena.

"Why do you care so much? Are you in love with HER or something?" Demi asked this in an accusatory tone. "I don't appreciate you calling me at 2 AM to yell at me for something you didn't even participate in. You don't have the right to do this. I will talk to her in time. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this."

"Fine. But don't be surprised if she won't talk to you by the time you make a decision about how you feel. And in case you were wondering, she's fine now, thanks to me. Goodnight." Taylor hung up the phone, fuming with anger. As she entered her room again, she tripped over her desk chair. Cursing slightly under her breath, she noticed Selena stirring from her sleep.

"What's going on?" Selena questioned, yawning.

"Nothing. Just tripped over my chair and hurt my foot." A pained expression crossed her face and she had dropped onto the floor, holding her foot in her hand. "Ouch." She hissed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Are you awake?"

"Obviously. You're talking to me."

"I think maybe you should...give up on Demi. As a completely objective third party with no personal interest in the matter, I don't think she feels the way you do. I don't think she's capable. Also, she's quite rude."

"What do you mean? Did you talk to her?" Selena rose from the bed, coming towards Taylor's voice – she couldn't see in the dark.

"I called her." Taylor admitted. "I had to..."

"What did she say?" Selena came closer, leaning down.

"She said she needs time. I kinda told her off." Taylor paused. "I've never told anyone off before. It felt good."

"Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Selena's fingers had found Taylor's lips. She brushed her fingertips against them. "I mean it..."

"Please, Selena, don't." Taylor pleaded, feeling what was coming. "I can't, not with things the way they are. As much as I want to."

"Want to what?" Selena asked her daringly.

"..."

"Well?"

"Kiss you."

Chapter Four

"Kiss you." When Taylor said this, Selena was completely floored. She stared at her friend in total disbelief. There was no way she was serious – she had to be joking. Taylor was the most heterosexual person Selena knew. Despite the fact that she had been really flirty with Taylor tonight, she didn't really think of her that way...or did she? Selena gazed into Taylor's blue eyes and noticed how much they reminded her of the ocean. It was true the other girl was crazy beautiful, and although Selena was attracted to her, she rationalized that she had to get over Demi before pursuing anything with someone else. Besides, there was still that glimmer of hope that Demi would decide she felt the same way. Selena reluctantly pulled away.

"Are you serious? Wait...don't answer that. Taylor," She sighed deeply. "You are so beautiful. I would be the luckiest person in the world if I were to kiss you right now. But you know how I feel about Demi and if you are serious, I can't bear to do this to you while I feel this way about someone else. If you're serious, if you're willing to wait, if...maybe we can..."

Taylor nodded, a knot in her throat preventing her from speaking. She got up from the floor and wordlessly took her place in the bed. Selena, feeling uncomfortable, took the extra pillow and a blanket and settled onto the floor.

_A few days later..._

Selena was surprised when he approached her at the LAX airport. His brown hair was getting shaggy and as he spoke, he wore a shy grin. Selena personally wasn't a fan of the series, but that was nothing against him. She still admired him and all he had to put up with. She was especially impressed by how muscular he was and how difficult it must have been to come by it.

"Hey. I'm – I'm Taylor. Lautner." He extended his hand politely. As she shook it, she noticed how firm his handshake was, and she tried to match his firmness. She'd always heard that if one had a firm handshake, they gave the appearance of being more assertive. She liked that idea, and took it to heart. "Walk with me. Paparazzi are going to be on our butt in 2.5 seconds and I don't want them to eavesdrop."

Selena complied, and the two of them walked together. "So what is it you want to talk to me about?" She asked him cautiously.

He laughed. "There's no way around the awkwardness of this. I know you're friends with Taylor Swift...I've met her and seen her at a few events and I really have a crush on her. So um, yeah, I was wondering if you could give her my number or something."

"That's lame! I mean, it's sweet you like her, but I don't think my giving your number to her will really impress her. But..." Selena paused thoughtfully. "You seem decent. So maybe I will mention you, then you and I could get you prepared for asking her out. How does that sound?"

"That sounds awesome!" Taylor exclaimed with excitement.

"...You do realize that **both **of your names are Taylor. Are you that narcissistic?" Selena questioned him playfully, grinning.

"No! Her name is irrelevant. I really like her. I appreciate you helping me out." Taylor thanked her.

"No problem." She took the phone from his hands and programmed her number in. "For when you're ready to strategize, Shark Boy."

Selena was not surprised that after she had finally returned to Texas, all of the gossip magazines and websites had ran with the LAX story. They speculated that they were dating. This made Selena chuckle because it couldn't be farther from the truth. It was the unwritten law of fame that whenever you were pictured with someone, you absolutely had to be dating.

Selena had been expecting the call from (girl) Taylor, asking her if the rumors were true. As if right on schedule, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

"I read something interesting about you today." Taylor mentioned immediately. "I saw something about you and Taylor Lautner dating?"

"You know gossip. I ran into him at the airport, we talked. Wasn't a huge deal. Whatever." Selena shrugged it off. Taylor, however, seemed a bit more concerned.

"You're not dating then? I didn't think so but...maybe he has a crush on you. Do you even like guys? Or have you not really thought about it?" Taylor was asking eagerly.

"No, we're not, and trust me – he's not into me. Guys? I don't know. I guess I can't really say for sure either way. I've dated a couple, but it wasn't anything special. I've never felt for a guy the way I do for D—well..you know." Selena stammered while attempting to paint her fingernails purple.

_Meanwhile..._

Demi was at the recording studio when she received a text from her friend Jac. She ignored the text while she was singing, but once the song was wrapped, she whipped out her phone and read what the message said:

"Taylor L. and Selena are together. Can you believe it? I didn't think he would be her type."

Demi read and reread the text message in disbelief before responding: "I hope that's not true."

"Why?" read Jac's reply.

"Long story." Demi typed, then turned off her phone in frustration. She sat there with her guitar, and she heard music in her head. Soon the music combined with ideas for lyrics. She was getting a song idea! She wrote down her idea as quickly as she could, inspired by the news Jac had given her. Taylor Lautner and Selena...if it was true...what did that mean about Selena's confession? Had she moved on? Could they move on? Was she using him? And not to mention the fact that Taylor and Demi had gone on a date once. Just once, and it was the most awkward, ridiculous date she had ever been on. Both of them ended the date with the decision that they would be better as friends, but now thinking about him dating Selena made her irrationally angry. Dating her best friend was incredibly unsavory, even if she was her ex best friend.

Wait, when had she started thinking of Selena as her ex best friend? She was saddened by the thought. So many emotions were going through her at that moment, and she poured them into her song, which came out quite a bit angrier than she had originally intended.

Her favorite lines were "in the twilight it's so hard to see" – a pun on the movie Taylor was most famous for, something clever fans would be able to catch, even if she was never able to admit that the song was about him. She chuckled when she recalled Taylor picking her up for the date, singing quite badly in the car, thinking he was serenading her. She couldn't write all of the things she wanted, but she could write enough, and it made her feel good. With a smile, she decided to lay down the track, then and there.


	2. Chapter 2

She surveyed the muscled boy, his skin tanned and his arm moving furiously as he scrambled to take notes on everything she was saying. Somehow this made her feel strangely powerful. The girl attempted to hand him a guide of seduction – a step by step handbook to win Taylor's love. She had already given him many tips, including _always make sure your hair looks good._ Although Taylor wasn't mainly interested in looks, the most important part of a person was their hair. It explained quite a bit about why she dated Joe Jonas, as his hair was always flawless. Selena cleared her throat, ready to make another proclamation to the eager young boy.

"Have you listened to her music before?" Selena asked.

"Yes. I love her music. She's really talented." Taylor Lautner admitted. "That's part of the reason why I like her so much."

"Well, it's great that you like her music. She loves it when her friends support her. Do NOT gush about it. Make sure she knows you like it, but don't harp on it constantly, because she's more than her music. It makes her feel uncomfortable if you're talking about it nonstop." Selena suggested. She could think of several guys who had done this same thing and remembered her friend losing interest quickly thereafter.

"Okay. I guess that makes sense."

"In case you haven't noticed from her music, she's a romantic. Be sweet to her. Hold out chairs, open doors – but don't make her feel like she can't do anything herself." Selena told him carefully.

"I think I'm sweet." Taylor smiled. "So that shouldn't be too difficult. Anything else?"

"She's dated quite a few guys in bands. I'd say it's a thing for her, dating rock stars. Since you're not one, you're going to have to work a bit harder. Maybe she's looking for a change. But dating someone else who is a musician is good because you share something huge in common. Most of all, she wants someone she can be herself around. I think she prefers brunettes..." Selena trailed off. Most of the things she was describing reminded her of herself. Selena considered herself a musician now, albeit not a great one – just as her friend was slowly considering herself to be an actress.

"Thank you. That helps a lot." He settled onto the couch with ease, gesturing towards the black television screen. "We can watch TV or something if you want." At this, Selena shrugged, leading him to turn on the television. He jokingly switched the channel to Disney, on which Wizards of Waverly Place was on. Selena groaned.

"I hate watching myself! Aghhh!" She screamed, annoyed. She quieted when she saw a set of guitars and a microphone in the corner. "You have Rock Band?" Selena asked after a moment, her eyes wide in excitement.

"Yeah, but I broke the drum set the other day from drumming too hard. I just have the mic and the guitars..."

"I CALL VOCALS!"

Both Taylor and Selena knew this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

_A few days later..._

Taylor was gazing at herself in the full-length mirror, wearing a look of incredulity as she took notice of her own straightened blonde hair. She still couldn't believe she had agreed to Selena's ridiculous idea. Selena had told her earlier that morning how much a certain teenage boy admired her, and urged her to go on a date with him. Wanting to please her friend, Taylor agreed, which was so completely fucked up..._Why would I go on a date with a guy because the girl I'm in love with told me to?_ _Right, Taylor, act absolutely contrary to how you feel and that'll throw everyone off! _She looked at herself, feeling quite pathetic.

"Taylor, honey." Her mother walked into the bathroom, smiling brightly. "Your young man is here." She giggled. "And he is looking quite nice, too – wearing a suit and everything."

"I'll be down in a minute." Taylor tried to sound enthusiastic and as her mother turned to go back down the hall, she took a seat on the counter. She couldn't help but imagine Selena wearing a suit and that sight would have been much more pleasant to her. It upset her more than she was willing to admit, the fact that Selena had coached Taylor into something she would like. The fact of the matter was that everything she wanted, she had in Selena. Sighing deeply, she left her place and decided to hurry downstairs. At least as soon as she started the date, it would be closer to being over.

He witnessed her walking down the stairs and everything seemed to move in slow motion, just as they did in romantic movies. His face lit up with happiness at the idea that she was really going on a date with him. As she approached him and came closer, he had to hold himself steady. He was unbelievably nervous. Trying to be charming, he bid her a good evening. It came out a bit more theatrically than he had intended, and Taylor half-giggled at him.

"I have to take a picture!" Taylor's mom announced happily, causing both Taylors to grimace. The younger Taylor knew he had to do so to appease the woman, while the older Taylor rolled her eyes, wishing she could rebel against the ridiculous tradition her mother had of taking pictures of every new boy she dated. She collected them like trading cards, a photo for every guy who broke Taylor's heart or vice versa. As his date's mother fiddled with the camera, Taylor put his arm around the blonde and smiled widely. She tried not to look too uncomfortable as she could smell the strong cologne he was wearing and put on her best smile.

"Are you ready?" Taylor asked her once the flash had gone off, and the older girl nodded before the two of them headed out the door. She walked outside and paused when she saw his white Audi R8. That car was not what she had been expecting. He gazed at her questioningly.

"Expensive?" She inquired.

"You could say that. It's the only big thing I bought after...well...you know." He shrugged, making his way to the passenger door and opening it for Taylor. She smiled a bit and got in, waiting for him to come around to the driver's side.

"It's not really what I expected, that's all." She said politely. "I drive a Lexus. I love it!"

"Oh yeah? I would have thought you'd drive a truck. A pink truck." He chuckled. "Besides, so many of your songs mention trucks..."

"Funny you should say that – I used to have a pink truck, but I gave it away." She laughed awkwardly. "So many of my songs mention trucks because I'm southern and quite a lot of guys I dated drove trucks. I do like them but it turns out I'm not so great at driving them."

"That stupid old pickup truck...he never let you drive." Taylor made another joke and she rolled her eyes in response. He was definitely breaking rule #2.

_Meanwhile..._

Demi tumultuously entered the room, the passion evident on her face as she threw the disk at her friend, Jac. The older girl looked at her in confusion. "Just a track I laid down today. I think it's going to go on the album." Demi exclaimed. Jac rapidly made her way to the CD player, putting the disk in and adjusting the volume before listening to the new song her friend was so proud of.

_You speak to me_

_And in your words I hear a melody_

_But in the __**twilight **__it's so hard to see_

_What's wrong for me..._

Jac listened to the song, staying silent throughout the entire thing. She actually enjoyed the music, because it seemed that Demi was going in a new direction musically, a new direction that was closer to her own musical taste. After the song had finished, she noticed Demi staring at her eagerly, wanting to hear a reaction.

"Did you like it?" She questioned.

"I did..." Jac paused, biting her lip and wondering if she should say anything. "It's pretty obvious what it's about though. Are you sure you want to do that to yourself?"

"I don't know what you're-"

"Yes you do. It is very obviously about Taylor Lautner." Jac sighed, not wanting to get into a fight with her friend. "You're jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Demi argued defensively. "I didn't even like Taylor that much."

"I didn't say that's what you were jealous about." Jac noted. Demi sat speechless. "Demi...I know how you feel about Selena. I completely understand. I used to have a crush on one of my female friends-" At Demi's surprised glance, she continued. "It was a one-time thing. I'm not into girls. But she was the exception. Audrey – she was...well, this isn't about me. But the point is, I let it get between us and now we're not even speaking anymore. I don't want that to happen to you and Selena."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen the way you look at her and heard the way you speak about her. I can't even count how many songs on your record are probably about her. Why are you so afraid to admit it? You're running away, Demi, and that's not like you." Jac reasoned. Demi listened, realizing that Jac knew nothing that she herself knew – she didn't know that Selena felt that way about her.

"You're saying I'm in love with her?" Demi asked in a small voice.

"Yes." Jac told her gently. "It's okay." She smoothed back her hair and pulled her into a tight hug. Demi surrendered to the hug and pulled her arms around Jac, trying not to cry. In that moment, it had occurred to her how stupid she had been. She'd thrown everything away over this. Stifling her tears, she pulled away from her older friend.

"You're right. I'm in love with her."

"How does it feel to admit it?" Jac smiled.

"Weird. There's something else I have to tell you. Selena told me...well...she didn't tell me exactly but...I think she intended for me to know. She left a journal entry open about being in love with someone and she told me it was about me, and I kind of freaked out, but I think it's because I feel the same way, and I didn't want to admit it." Demi crossed her arms. "After all those guys I tried to date...I didn't want to admit that I'm-"

"Gay." Jac whispered, putting a hand on Demi's shaking shoulder in support. "Honey, it's not like it comes as a surprise." Demi moved away from her touch.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?" She screamed, half joking and halfway serious.

"I mean...you kinda dress like a dyke, babe. Don't be offended or anything, but all the plaid, the vests, the leather-" Jac laughed. "Plus you and Selena...'normal' friends aren't that touchy feely. They just aren't."

"How...you knew before I knew? That's not even fair!"

Chapter Six

Demetria Lovato felt the excitement at the upcoming party this evening – her late birthday party slash any other kind of excuse for a party she could come up with. Though many of her friends were coming, including Jac and Hayley, there was one person she really wanted to come. Demi didn't want the awkwardness between them to change things even though it was evident they already had. As far as she knew, none of the other Disney folks were even coming to the party. It seemed as if all of them had noticed the tension and chose a side—well, except for the Jonas brothers—who apparently already had plans that evening. Demi finally decided to reach out, and tweeted Selena for the world to see. It was her own way of apologizing:

"selenagomez I hope you can make it to my party this weekend :D"

Unfortunately within seconds of posting, fans and haters caught like wildfire. Some people accused her of being sarcastic, others said she was saying it deliberately because Selena had scheduled her Naturally video shoot for that evening (which Demi had no idea about) and the more supportive fans begged Selena to respond. Demi became frustrated when Selena didn't respond after a few hours. She decided to text message her before the party preparations began.

"_Is there any way you could make it to my party tonight?"_

"_No. Video shoot."_

"_Maybe you could stop by after?"_

"_Sorry, plans w/ Tay."_

"_Can we talk?"_

"_Maybe later. Bye."_

Demi closed her phone in annoyance and angrily threw it at the wall. Thankfully, it didn't break. She crossed her arms and cursed under her breath. This was just the perfect start to her evening. It had taken all of her courage to reach out to Selena and for her to respond that way, well, maybe she deserved it but it didn't hurt any less. She sighed, wishing she would have had her realization much sooner. Now how was she supposed to tell Selena she was sorry and she loved her and to please forgive her? Too little, too late. Demi decided that tonight she would wallow in self-pity while putting on a facade for everyone else. Maybe she could drink – she knew that Jac and Jeffree would probably bring alcohol, anyway.

When she had finally finished getting ready and charging her phone, Demi went upstairs to say goodbye to her parents. They had already celebrated her birthday long ago and this was more of a party for her friends, which they completely understood. Her mother gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. Demi knew her parents trusted her...but just this once she wanted to step outside the boundaries of what was expected of her and she planned to do just that. She hurried back downstairs as she noticed her chauffeur had arrived—at least she had enough sense not to drive if she planned on drinking. Grabbing her purse, she dashed out the door and into the limousine. As she settled into the seat, she thought about how infrequently she actually used a limo, and she told the driver to go pick up Jac. Slowly it seemed that Jac was becoming one of her best friends, at least in the place of Selena.

"Happy birthday!" Jac shouted when she got into the car.

"Wait," Demi told the driver. "Thanks, Jac. Are you bringing anything to drink?"

"Well..." Jac chuckled. "If you give me a minute, I can." Demi told the driver that her friend had forgot something, and the older girl returned with her arms full of 40s and a six pack of Grape Smirnoff. Demi grinned in response and the two of them were on their way to the Roosevelt Hotel to party the night away.

Since she was the guest of honor, Demi couldn't exactly be the first person to arrive, so once she had, there was already quite a crowd of people there. Fans were standing outside of the hotel while Jac struggled to hide the alcoholic beverages from them.

"Is Selena coming tonight?" One of the fans screamed from near the door.

"Um..." was Demi's lame response.

"She's busy tonight! Everyone, hope you have a great evening!" Jac announced, pulling Demi through the hotel's doors by the arm, trying to get her away from the fans. Tears were already stinging at Demi's brown eyes, causing Jac to put down the heavy bottles and pull her arms around Demi. "Don't break down already, Demz, the night hasn't even started." She whispered.

"I know, it's just really freaking hard with everyone asking me stuff and saying things on twitter and I can't even respond because I was an idiot and everyone's wondering what happened but no one knows the truth, it's just so stupid and I'M so stupid..."

"Honey." Jac pulled away from her for a moment. "Put on a smile, even if it's fake. You need to go into your party. Ignore your thoughts of Sel—you know who—and I promise I'll make tonight the night you'll never forget." She picked up the bottles and made her way to the kitchen, where she planned to put the alcohol in the fridge. Jac fixed a drink for herself and Demi, and by the time she made it out to the room, Demi was surrounded by friends. Jac noticed how miserable she looked and made it her mission to get Demi drunk. At least it would help for tonight.

It took four drinks before Demi was acting loopy. Most of the younger party goers were gone by this time. Demi was sitting at a table with Hayley, Jeffrey, Chloe, Jac and a few others. She leaned back into her chair and stared at everyone on the dance floor.

"Looks like everyone's having fun." She said quietly.

"They are. Are you?" Hayley asked from beside Demi. The younger girl turned to Hayley and laughed, leaning her head on her shoulder. She brought her mouth close to Hayley's ear.

"What do you think?"

"I think there's something on your mind." Hayley told her, patting her on the leg. It was unexpected when she and Demi had become friends. She had said a few things about her that she regretted, but it turned out they had friends in common and Demi was much cooler than she had ever imagined. Seeing her so obviously distressed was weird, since it seemed as if Demi was always so cheerful. "Do you want to talk about it?'

"Noooo...well..." Demi started. She lost her train of thought and giggled.

"I think I'm going to head out." Chloe said suddenly, standing and putting her arms around Demi from behind. "Goodnight, girl." She turned to the rest of the table. "Make sure she gets home alright, guys." Chloe and the others left until just the four – Demi, Jeffree, Jac and Hayley—remained at the table.

"Jac, let's dance." Jeffree pulled his friend from her chair, leaving the two girls alone at the table. Demi was struggling with her cell phone, attempting to send a message to Selena.

"_sorryive been such an iidot. Pleas forgive mee selena"_ she typed. After five minutes, Selena had neglected to respond.

"_im reactng now. Jac n I talked she told me that iwasinlove with u an"_ she accidentally sent the text before she finished, so she continued: "_was rite. Im soooooooooo stupid sel just pls talk 2me"_

"_What is wrong with you?"_ Selena finally sent back in response.

"_immm drulnkkk" _

"_Do you have a ride?"_

"_yes jac nd I rode limo imok r u mad at me" _She was finishing her fifth drink and could barely type comprehensibly, her fingers fumbling over the keys like a five year old's.

"_We can talk about it later."_

"_now pls"_

"_I am not talking to you when you're drunk."_

"_fine but im gon to"_

"_Going to what?"_

Demi was interrupted by Hayley, who was reading everything she was typing. The redhead took the phone in her hand, attempting to save Demi the embarrassment of having to face this conversation in the morning. She gazed at Demi in concern. "It's Selena, isn't it?"

"Howwww could you telll?" Demi slurred pitifully.

"What happened?" Hayley ignored the question.

"I LOVE HER!" Demi screamed and Hayley put her hand over her friend's mouth. Demi quieted down and the other girl removed her hand. "Sorry I'm drunk...Jac told me I'm in love with her she's right. I want to kiss you." Demi grabbed the redhead suddenly and kissed her sloppily. Hayley pulled away from her and stood.

"I really think it's time for you to go home." Hayley laughed uncomfortably. "Jac! It's time for Demi to go to bed." She yelled across the room. Jac nodded understandingly.

"I don't think it is." Demi argued as Jac pulled her away from the chair and she and Hayley helped her to the car. She could barely walk and had never drank before. It was affecting her in quite a negative way. "I don't think it is," she repeated. "Not time for bed, Hayley, will you come with me?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Hayley reasoned, feeling quite strange about the whole situation. She didn't get into the limo with the other two girls, since she hadn't been drinking, she decided to take Jeffree home. She waved goodbye to her friends and left.

Once in the limousineeee, Demi took to her phone again: "_kissed hayley wishwas u ilove u s call me tmw nite"_

"I really hope you're not twittering." Jac warned, taking her phone away from her and placing it in her pocket to keep it safe.

"Noooo, I'm drunk not stuuuupid."

"There's not a big difference." Jac admitted. She only had a drink or two, so she was only buzzed, but she never took a chance and drove. She didn't need a DUI on her record. Demi was leaning against her and her eyes were closing. Finally she was getting tired enough to pass out.

"Love you." Demi said before her eyes closed. Jac smiled and pushed her hair back, hoping against all hope that her friend wouldn't have a hangover in the morning.

_Meanwhile..._

When Selena had read Demi's last text message, she was surprised and quite confused. She read over it again: "_kissed hayley wishwas u ilove u s call me tmw nite"_ Despite Demi's drunkenness she could interpret it as the fact that Demi kissed Hayley Williams – Selena wondered how she reacted – and that apparently Demi wished she had been kissing her instead. The admission of "I love you" was a bigger deal too. Selena was tempted to call her as soon as she read it, but she knew the other girl was drunk and she wanted to be sure she felt the same way in the morning. Instead she decided to call Taylor. As it rang she felt her nerves creep up on her.

"Selena? What's up?" Taylor hadn't been expecting Selena's call, as her friend was still supposed to be at the Naturally video shoot.

"Demi won't stop texting me." Selena told her desperately.

"Is she being mean?" Taylor asked, her protective nature taking over.

"It's the opposite."

"She's being sweet?"

"Drunk. But yes. What should I do?" Selena was at a loss. "By the way, we finished earlier than I thought we would. I'm getting ready to go home. So if you could come over early that would be amazing. I don't want to be alone right now."

"Okay, Selena. We'll talk about it when you get home." Taylor announced with a sense of finality in her voice. She was about to hang up when Selena spoke up again.

"I don't think I...I mean, I have feelings for someone else." Selena confessed. "But I don't know what to do about Demi, and it seems like she...I'm sorry to keep putting all this on you."

"Don't apologize. It's what I'm here for. How long until you're home?"

"About ten minutes."

"See you then. I have something for you." Taylor hung up the phone. Her mind was swimming with thoughts, some crazier than others. So it seemed that Demi had been drunk texting Selena all night and goodness knows what she said. What if Selena decided to date her? Taylor had to be there for her friend no matter what she decided, even if seeing her with someone else would kill her. There was a song she wanted to play for Selena, a song that told how she felt and that she had written about her awhile ago. Selena never knew it was about her, and Taylor felt it was time. It was unfortunate that it fell on the same time that Demi decided to finally talk to her.

Taylor grabbed her jacket and her guitar, going out to her car and starting it. She sat there for a moment, gripping the steering wheel and breathing deeply. _You can do this, _she told herself. With another few deep breaths she pulled out of her driveway to make her way to Selena's house.

Selena was on the porch when Taylor parked. She looked over at the blonde, who was walking towards her with her guitar in her hands. Selena gazed at her questioningly. Taylor smiled then.

"I want to play something for you. It's a song I wrote a long time ago. I'm pretty sure you've heard it already, but pretend like this is the first time. Selena, it explains everything." She began strumming slowly and allowed herself to sing.

_I like the way you sound in the morning  
>We're on the phone and without a warning<br>I realize your laugh is the best sound  
>I have ever heard<em>

_I like the way I can't keep my focus  
>I watch you talk, you didn't notice<br>I hear the words but all I can think is  
>We should be together<br>Every time you smile, I smile  
>And every time you shine, I'll shine for you <em>

"Taylor..."

"Shh."

_Whoa oh, I'm feeling you baby  
>Don't be afraid to<br>Jump then fall_  
><em>Jump then fall into me<br>Be there, never gonna leave you  
>Say that you wanna be with me too<br>So I'm a stay through it all  
>So jump then fall<em>

_I like the way your hair falls in your face  
>You got the keys to me<br>I love each freckle on your face, oh  
>I've never been so wrapped up, honey<br>I like the way you're everything I ever wanted_

_I had time to think it oh, over  
>And all I can say is come closer<br>Take a deep breath then jump then fall into me  
>Cause Every time you smile, I smile<br>And every time you shine, I'll shine for you_

"Does this mean..."

"You're not going to let me finish, are you?" Taylor laughed. She put down the guitar and walked towards Selena. "Yes, that's what it means. I love you, Selena. I just had to tell you before I saw you go to Demi. Even if you don't feel the same way, I didn't feel right lying to you."

"I'm really glad because I do feel the same way." Selena told her. She took Taylor's hands and pulled her closer. Taylor opened her mouth to speak but Selena cut her off with a kiss. Taylor smiled into the kiss and climbed onto Selena's lap, kissing her back fiercely. "I love you too. I don't know why I never saw what was right in front of me."

"Now you do." Taylor kissed her friend's cheek. "And that's all that matters." She paused, putting her arms around the other girl. "Does this mean I win?"

"Yes, it does." Selena answered as she felt her phone vibrating madly in her pocket. She didn't have to pick it up to know it was Demi. She seized Taylor's hand in hers, dragging her inside. Selena had made her choice. As much as she had loved Demi, it had not been meant to be. She knew that now and she didn't regret it one bit. She and Taylor made sense. They had more in common than Selena had ever felt with anyone else, including Demi. Demi had always been more immature than she was, and she felt that Taylor was much more like her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Taylor replied in a vulnerable position, with Selena pinning her to the bed.

"Are you a lesbian?"

"No. It's...it's just you, Selena. I've never felt this way about a girl before, about anyone before. It doesn't matter to me that you're a girl because I can't see something like this ever happening again." Taylor confessed. Selena smiled, leaning down to kiss the older girl. "Wait." Taylor said. "I know what you're about to do and I don't want to-"

Selena moved into an upright position, a funny grin on her face. "You're so..." She shook her head in amusement. "You see this ring?" She held up her promise ring. "Do you read what it says? True love waits. You are my true love. I've waited long enough. Taylor, if I were to wait until we could get married..." she trailed off. "I can't. I never meant that I'd wait until marriage. I meant I'd wait until I found my one true love. And that's you."

Taylor's smile was bigger than it had ever been as she pulled Selena back on top of her.


End file.
